Method of manufacturing resilient articles.



L. T. PETERSEN;

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING RESILIENT ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1914.

1,115,240Q Patented 001127, 1914.

Q Q i? /vd bmcooaa LUDVIG El.- PETERSEN, F YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

METHOD 01E MANUEAYGTURING RESILIENT TICLES.

isiiaeao.

Specification of Lettersratent.

' Patented @ct. ea, 1914i.

Application filed May 25, 191%. Serial No. 3%,929."

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LUDVIG T. Pn'rnnsnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Youngstown, in "the county of Ma'honing and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods" of Manufacturing Resilient Articles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inven-' tion, such as will enable others skilled in'the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to methbds of manufacturing resilient articles, including balls especially such as used in playing the game of golf, or similar games, wherein it is important that the ball used should possess among othercharacteristics that of durability, a high degree of resiliency, true spherical form, uniformity and compactness of'structure, a center of gravity coincident with its center of symmetry, and a constant radial expansive strain upon the interior of its outer cover. They. should a1so possess among other qualifications that 'of withjstanding the blows to which they are continually subjected with varying degree of force, administered by drivingimplements such as golf clubs; when fairly struck they should respond actively by reason of their inherent elasticity, and shouldflf jyvith accuracy and precision because (if tfj'ir ballistic properties; they should be provided witlr -fa toughresilient outer casing or cover capable of restraining expansive pressure inherent in the body of the ball, but not likely to be disrupted or damaged in use; they-should be capable of instantly recoveringl their normal spherical form after momentary distortion by a blow, or by forcible contact, with an unyielding object of any description; and should be proof against permanent distortion under the most severe tests and usage to which such balls are ordinarily subjected. The present method has for an object the production of resilient articles, particularly golf balls, possessing all of 'thecharac'teristics and qualifications above enumerated. A further object is .the production of co'r'ele'ss balls from windings or superimposed layers pieces OI'zSfilfiPS ofmateria'l Whlch in the process of ma'nufacture 1 are rendered both plastic and elastic iand' are finally shaped inheatedin'oldsunder pressure.' 1 1 A'further object is the production of balls having a marked degr versely r from t of uniform compactness and density, prac tically free from entrapped air bubbles, and cc of resiliency in contradistinction to solid balls which are proverbially dead.

A further object is that of inclosing the I body of resilient balls within a tough, durable and relatively thin, seamless outer casing, absolutely without joints or weldmg, and consequentlywithout the liabilityof breakage which attends covers .made in two or more sections.

A further object is the formation of balls under pressure in suitable hot molds, and allowing them topcool without removal, thereby permitting heat of the molds to penetrate the entire massthus automatically adjusting its balance, and subjecting the center of the ball to a cumulative pressure efiect the extent of which is varied accord ing to the depth of heat penetration.

urther object is the formation of a ball-body from bala'ta or its equivalent impregnated with particles of cured rubber, a-

ball-cover from refined balata, gutta percha,

or one of its substitutes, or like materialwhich may or may not be similarly impregnated, and then uniting said body and cover by molding. them into one homogeneous massfi A furtherobject is to simplify the operation of makinggolf balls, and to reduce the =cost thereof, and still further objects will hereafter lee-apparent 'to persons skilled in the art.

The invention scribed and lowing.

In the accompa ying drawings which form part of this application for Letters Patent, corresponding: numerals of referencedesignate like 'parts in the several views. j I

Figure 1 represents diagrammatically, a fragment of a sheet of bal'ata or other substance having like physicalproperties. Fig. 2...is a stri of like material out transhe sheet shownby 'Fig'. 1. Fig. 3 is a strip such as shown by Fig. 2, partially stretched acrossits grain. Fig. 4 1s a view in perspective showing the body will be hereinafter deof afgolf ball in the process of winding or including a crudeexempli c'ation 'of heatpointed out in the" claims fol- 7 ing means. Fig. 6 is a central vertical section of the ball-body shown by Fig. 5, with its surrounding seamless cover, both somewhat oversize, and contained within a mold preparatory to final shaping, and, Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a completed ball shown partly in section.

Fm.- purposes of the following description thereof, may be made and substituted for those hereinafter set forth and still be within the scope of my invention.

Reference being had to the drawings and numerals thereon, 1 represents a sheet of balata, made from balata gum which has been previously softened in hot water, washed, and sheeted by milling between heated rolls in the usual and well under stood manner. These sheets'l are ordinarily rolled out to a length of one hundred or one hundred and fifty feet, and a width of from two to three feet, more or less, but in any event the kneading or calendering operation invariably produces a grain, such as diagrammatically shown at 2, running longitudinally of the sheet.

In carrying out my invention a sheet of balata such as 1, while in the course of kneading or calendering, is thoroughly impregnated with a multiplicity of individual particles of cured rubber 3, varying in size and weight according to the charact'erof balls to be produced. It is characteristic of balata to stretch in one directionand not in the other. that it is say, it is capable of being readily stretched in a direction at right angles to its grain, but is practically non-stretchable with the grain, and when stretched remains stretched until contracted by the application of heat. Utilizing this physical characteristic a strip, strips, or pieces 4 of suitable width, are first cut from said sheet ll transversely across the grain 2 thereof, and are each drawn out, or stretched to their elastic limit, by hand or otherwise, as indicated at 5 in Fig. '3 of the drawings thereby rendering latent the contractile qualities of the-material, this preliminary stretching being effected cold, or at a normal temperatureof from sixty to eighty. degrees Fahrenheit, more or less. A small nucleus 6 is thereupon rolled into one end of the first strip 4,'and.upon this as a center are 's'ucces sively plied or overwound, in superimposed relation, and'without further stretching a succession of such strips 4, each preliminarily stretched to render latent its con-- tractile qualities, and cumulatively applied until approximately the desired size and spherical form of a ball-body has been produced. This accomplished, the ball-body, such as shown by Fig. 5, is subjected to a mild degree of heat, by any approved heat producing means, whereby the latent contractile qualities inherent in the previously stretched strips 4 are stimulated or restored,

causing a cumulati e radial internal pressure and rendering the ball. as a whole peculiarly resilient and responsive 111 long drives, and yet comparatively dead to light blows as in putting. This restoration of the contractile properties of balata is esscntial to the productionof superior balls, but it is by no means necessary that it shall take place at the time and stage of manufacture above indicated, on the contrary the heating is equally effective, and in some-in stances more so, when applied at frequent intervals during the formation or winding of the ball-body. Obviously, the heat-producing means aforesaid may be varied indefinitely Without departing from the spirit of this invention, or the method-step which it involves, but in the present illustrations a hot plate 7 is. shown, heated by gas jets S for example, because such plate in addition to heating facilitates a preliminary shaping of the ball by rolling same. upon the plate during the;process of manufacture,

either under the hand of an operator, or-

under a second superimposed non-yielding plate, (not shown) either heated or unheated. The ball-body is now ready to receive its outer cover or casing 9, which by preference is plied up as aforesaid, either of strips 4: impregnated with particles ofcured rubber 3, or without the addition of such particles, but preferably without them. which are designed andintended for use in the game of golf, is a seamless and 'jointless envelop or casing, made oversize from overwound-strips 4 of balata applied in the man ner hereinbefore described, and treated as set forth, in connection withthe building of the ball-body, except that refined balata, gutta-percha, celluloid or like material is employed. The entire ball-body and loverwound restraining cover 9, while still somewhat plastic, are next placed in heated This cover 9, unlike most balls molds 10 and subjected topressure, which 1 not only insures a true spherical form, but

causes the ball to automatically adjust its center of gravity to correspond'precisely with its center of symmetry, and produces a suitable surface configuration such as the well known bramble design which in the presentdrawings is used merely as an ex' ample. In this condition the ball'is permitted to cool slowly,'and itscover to setjbefore removal from the molds. After cooling the completelyv formed ball-is removed from the mold press and coated in the usual manher with white paint, celluloid varnish, or

any of the usual coatings, care being taken to select a coating material the vehicle of which has an adhesive or solvent affinity for the material of which the ball cover is made. Acetone is a solvent for some of the constituents of balata, so that any paint or varnish containing acetone will answer for a balata cover, or for covers made .of a material which is a substitute for balata.

From the foregoing it will b e] seen that covers 9 made and applied in accordance with the presentmethod may be comparatively thin, and'cons'equently more resilient than the thick covers used in rubber-wound balls, or in various makes of balls containing acids or gases ferthe purpose of exerting pressure upon the ball covers, sometimes causing the latter to break under the impact of a blow with possible disastrous results to persons handling them. And it will be noted with what facility balls made under the present process may be reheated, reformed, resurfaced, andrepaired, if in the course of long service their outer surfaces should become Worn or otherwise injured.

It will also be noted that the strip, strips or pieces of stretched balata 4 employed in the production of balls under (and in accordance with the present method, may vary in width and thickness greatly from a mere thread to practically any desired Width or thickness, and, indeed, it is within the scope of this invention to construct balls from a, single sheet of balata stretched, formed,

heated and finally shaped While semi-plastic by agency of heated molds. It will also be noted that I do not herein claim the ball, made according to my improved method as an article of manufacture, for the reason that such claims are made in a separate application filed by me in the United States Patent Oflice simultaneously herewith.

Having thus described my improved method what I now claim is:

l. The method of manufacturing resilient articles from material possessing latent contractility, involving the following method steps, namely, forming the article into the desired shape, and stimulating the latent contractile qualities of the material.

3 .contractility,

forming the article into the desired shape, and stimulating the contractile qualities of tlfe material.

- 4. The ,method of manufacturing resili .ent articles from material possessing con-- particles of cured rubber, stretching the gum to render latent thecontractile qualities, forming the article into the desired shape, and stimulating the contractile qualities of the gum.

6. The method of manufacturing resilient articles from gums of the gutta group possessing contractile qualities, involving the following method steps, namely, impregnating the gum with particles of cured rubber, stretching the gum to render latent its contractile qualities, forming the article into the desired shape, and stimulating the contractile qualities of the gum by the action of heat.

7. The n thod of manufacturing resilient articles from balata, involving the following method steps, namely, impregnating thebalata with particles of cured rubber,

stretching the balata to render latent its contractile qualities, forming the article into the desired shape, and finally stimulating the contractile qualities of the balata.

8. The method of manufacturing resilient articles from strips of balata impregnated. with particles of curved rubber, involving the following method steps, namely, stretching said strips to render latent their contractile qualities, forming them into the desired shape, and stimulating the contractile qualities of said strips by the action of heat.

9. The method of manufacturing resilient articles from sheeted balata, involving the following method steps, namely, impregnating the balata with particles of cured rubber, cutting the balata into strips, stretchin said strips to render latent their contracti e qualities, over-winding said strips to form a ball, and stimulating the contractile qualities of the strips after Winding by the action-of heat.

. 0. The method of vmanufacturing resilientballs from balata, involvingthe following method steps, namely, impregnating the balata' with particles of cured rubber, cutting the'balata into'strips, stretching said strips to render latent their -co'ntractile ualities, overwinding said strips ino the orm of a, ball, stimulating the con ractile dualities of the strips after winding by the -action of heat, and compressing the ball while Warm to final size. Z

11. The method of manufacturing resilient balls from balata, involving the following method steps, namely, impregnating the balata with particles of cured rubber,

- stretching the material to render latent its contractile qualities, shaping the material into the form of a ball, stimulating the contractile qualities of the material by the action of heat, and finally molding the ball under pressure iii-molds. 12. The method of manufacturlng resilr ent-balls from balata, involving the following method steps, namely, impregnating the balata with particles of cured rubber, stretching the material to render latent its contractile qualities, shaping the material into the form ofa ball, stimulating the con tractile qualities of the material by the action of heat, and finally shaping the ball under pressure in hot molds allowing it to cool While still contained Within the molds.

13. The method of manufacturing resilient balls from strips of balata impregnated with particles of cured rubber, involving the following method steps, namely, stretching said strips to render latent their con-' tractile qualities, Winding said strips into the form of a ball, heating said strips after Winding to restore their contractile qualities, and finally applying an outer resilient cover to the ball.

14. The method of manufacturing resili- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature,

in presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

LUDVIG T. PETERSEN.

I Witnesses:

DARIUS H. MINSHULL. T01) J. MEEL. 

